Apparatus for measuring and/or indicating surface roughness



P 1943- R. E. REASON 2,329,084

APPARATUS FORMEASURING AND/OR INDICATING SURFACE ROUGH-NESS Filed Feb. 18, 1941 7 sh t s t l Fig. 2.

A 6 Invent" RETREASON Y Attorney Sept. 7,1943. R. E. REASON 2,329,084

APPARATUS FOR MEASURING AND/OR INDICATING SURFACE ROUGHNESS Filed Feb. 18,- 1941 TShee'ts-Sheet 2 I nventur REREHSON A ltorney Sept. 7, 1943. R. E. REASON 2,329,084

APPARATUS FOR MEASURING AND/OR INDICATING SURFACE ROUG'HNESS Filed Feb. 18, 1941 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 Fig.3A.

Inventur REREAfio A Home Spt. 7, 1943. R. E. REASON APPARATUS FOR MEASURING AND/OR INDICATING SURFACE ROUGHNESS Filed Feb. 18, 1941 7 Sh ets-Sheet 4 Inveniur RE REASON Ame 1 A my 4 P 1943- ,R. E. REASON 2,329,084

APPARATUS FOR MEASURING AND/OR INDICA'I'ING SURFACE ROUGH'NESS Attorney 7 p R. E. REASON 3 APPARATUS FOR MEASURING AND/OR. INDICATING SURFACE ROUGHNESS Filed Feb. 18,-1941 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 Fig. 11.

A Home Sept. 7, 1943. R. E. REASON APPARATUS FOR MEASURING AND/OR INDICATING SURFACE ROUGHNESS '7 Sheets-Sheet 7 Filed Feb 18, 1941 Fig. 9.

Patented Sept. 7, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE APPARATUS FOR MEASURING AND/OR INDICATING SURFACE ROUGHNESS Richard Edmund Reason, Leicester, England, as-

signor to Kapella Limited, Leicester, England, a company of Great Britain Application February 18, 1941, Serial No. 379,536 In Great Britain February 1, 1940 4 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for measuring and/or indicating the degree of roughness of. a surface, and is more especially 'concerned'with an improved pick-up unit for use in such apparatus. Whilst in some instances a magnified graphic record of the surface contour, as would be given for example by a pen recordenis desired,

it will sufiice in other instances to obtain a meas ure of the average roughness of the surface.

The pick-up unit according to the present invention comprises a casing or framework which can be located in any chosen position relatively to the surface under investigation, a pick-up head carried thereby, and means for driving the pickup head over the surface atany of two or more difierent speeds. This arrangement enables the same apparatus to be used at will either for operating a pen recorder or like instrument with the relatively slow speed of traverse of the pickup head suitable thereto or for operating an average meter for which a relatively high speed source of alternating current having afrequency high as compared with the principal frequencies in the relative movement and thereby actuates the measuring or indicating instrument.

Means are preferably provided for automatically stopping the drive after the pick-up head has travelled a predetermined distance. Thus for example when the pick-up head is'driven from an electric motor or solenoid through variable'speed gearing, the circuit to the motor or the pick-up'head in one direction for measuring or indicating purposes during the major portion of one revolution, the remaining portion of the one revolution being utilised for a relatively quick resetting movement of the pick-up head to the starting position.

A preferred construction of pick-up unit according to the invention and a modification thereof are illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which Figures 1 and 2 are respectively a front elevation and a plan of the preferred construction of unit and of one convenient mounting therefor,

Figures 3 and 3:: together are a central vertical section on a larger scale of the unit viewed from the front,

' Figure 3a being a continuation of Figure 3,

Figure 4 is a horizontal section on the broken line 4-4 of Figure 3, 1 Figure 5 is a vertical section on the broken line 5-5 of Figure 3, v

v Figure 6 is a plan of the unit, Figures 7-9 are diagrammatic views showin the operation of electrical contacts employed in the unit,

Figure 7a being a continuation of Figure 7, Figure 10 is a front elevation of further electrical contacts employed in the unit,

Figures 11-12 illustrate the pick-up head, and Figure 13 shows somewhat diagrammatically 'the modified construction.

In the preferred construction the pick-up unit is mounted on an adjustable stand o that it can be fixed in any desired position thereon for cooperation with the surface under investigation.

This stand may tak various forms but in the example illustrated comprises a base plate A, on which the member whose surface is .to be examined can be supported. Adjustably mounted on a horizontal slidewayA across the stand A is a vertical-shaped bar A on which can slide a carriage-B to which the casing 13 of the unit is secured by bolts B The vertical bar A is prosolenoid may be controlled by contacts operated by the movement of the head or of 'one of the elements through which the drive is transmitted tothe-head. g

The driving means may be arranged in various ways. Thus the pick-up head may be driven thereby in one direction only, means such as a ratchet or equivalent device being provided to facilitate quick resetting to the starting position. Alternatively a rotary member, such for example as a cam, may be incorporated in the drive and may be so arranged as to transmit the drive to vided with a rack A ,with which engages a pinion B onthe carriage B. This pinion is mounted on a spindle passing through the back and front cover plates B, B of the casing and is operated by a hand knob 13 on the front end of the spindle.-

A counterweight A, connected to the carriage B by ropes A passing over a pulley A at the top of the vertical bar A, is provided to balance the weight of the carriage B and the pick-up unit. The unit can be clamped in any desired position on the bar A by a clamping device operated by a finger lever B" mounted on the front cover plate B of the casing.

The pick-up head is mounted on the end of a hollow horizontal bar C adjustable horizontally in a bracket C connected to a hollow shaft D projecting through the side wall of the casing, so that the head C and shaft D can move together relatively to the casing. The shaft D, which passes across the bottom of the casing. hassecured to it a bracket D from the 'backof which a rod D extends upwardly to engage at its forked upper end with a guide B (see Figures5 and 6), thereby holding the shaft D against rotation during its longitudinal traversing movement.

The traversing movement of the shaft D is effected by means of a half-nut D engaging with a driving screwthread E mounted in the casing above the shaft D. This half-nut D is supported by-the bracket D and is pressed into engagement with the screwthread by a spring D, a stud D projecting downwardly from the half-nut into a keyway in the bracket D to hold the half-nut against rotation.

The power for driving the screwthread E is derived through variable speed gearing from an electric motor F secured in the casing B on a fixed horizontal shaft F extending across the casing above the shaft E of the screwthread E. The variable speed gearing may be arranged in various ways, but in the example illustrated there are three speeds available, one relatively fast and the other two relatively slow.

The driving shaft of the motor F is connected through an Oldhams coupling F to a pair of driving pinions F, F slidable together along the fixed shaft F lhe larger pinion F of the pair can engage with or be disengaged from a pinion E fixed to the shaft E of the driving screwthread, this connection affording the desired fast speed drive. The smaller driving pinion F remains always in driving engagement through reduction gears F, F, F" with a pinion .G rotatably mounted on a. sleeve G slidable along the shaft F the gears F, F being freely mounted on the shaft E whilst the gear F is fast with the pinion G The sleeve G also carries a sections. The shapes of the slots E, H (see Figure 6) are such that by rotating the knob H counterclockwise through 45 from the inoperative position the lever 11* will be rocked to move the pinion F into engagement with the fast speed pinion E, the lever B remaining stationary, whilst, by rotating the knob H in the clockwise direction through either 45 or 90", the lever B will remain stationary and the lever H will move the sleeve G to bring either the pinion G or the pinion G into engagement; with the slow speed pinion E to give the alternative slow speed drives.

Although a reversing motor may be employed, it will usually be preferable for the motor to drive the pick-up head in the forward direction only, the screwthread E being provided with 0nd pinion G of the same size as the pinion" G and driven therefrom through reduction gears G G G, of which the gears G, G are carried by a' lay shaft (2' suitably iournalled in the casing whilst the gear G is fast with the pinion G The two sets of reduction gears remain always in mesh during sliding movements of the driving pinions FE'F and of the sleeve G, so

that the pinions G, G are permanently geared to the motor shaft. By moving the sleeve G inone direction or the other from an inoperative central position, the pinions G G can selectively be brought into engagement with a further pinion E fixed to the shaft E of the driving screwthread in order to afford the alternative slow speed drives.

The control of the gear ratio is effected by a knurled knob H at the top of the casing, this knob having four positions, namely a disengaged position (in which the mechanism is shown in the drawings), a fast speed position, and two slow speed positions. This knob H has two shaped slots H H cut in its undersurface and the rounded upper ends of two pivoted levers H=,'H respectively engage in these slots, the lever H serving to operate the sleeve G for the two slow speeds, and the lever H the pair of pinions F, F! for the fast speed. Spring-pressed plungers H are provided to hold the knob H in its four posiasymmetrical teeth, after the manner of a ratchet, so that the half-nut I) can slide freely over the thread when the pick-up head moves in the reverse direction, to facilitate quick resetting. A

spring D is provided to hold the half-nut D against the thread E, this arrangement having the advantage that, should the shaft D happen to stick, the thread will ratchet idly without risk of damage to the parts.

To effect starting and resetting, a lever J is provided. This lever is pivoted at J near the back of the casing and passes through the front cover plate B It is provided with a flat J for engaging with a projection D" on the shaft D. Thus to effect starting of a traverse, the lever J is first moved from its normal position to the left to engage with the projection D and thereby to reset th shaft D and the pick-up. head C, and is then moved back again to its normal position to operate contacts for starting up the motor F.

The arrangement of these starting contacts will now be descrlbed with reference to Figures 4,

mama angure'zshowin memmme ure 9 the position after the resetting movement of the lever and before the return starting movement. The contents comprise an pper spring contact blade J and a cooperating lower spring contact blade J, the latter having a lateral upward projection J extending up to approximately the same level as the lowerhlade. The spring contacts J and Jare carried by the casing B The upper blade J and the projection J on the lower blade are simultaneously operated by a downwardly extending finger J' on the starting lever J, whilst a laterally projecting stud D on the shaft D can operate the upper blade-I but not the lower blade J Thuginthestartingposlflonshowninllgures 4 and I the contacts J=,,J are held closed by thestiulD'andthemotorFstax-tsupanddrlves theshaftDandplck-upheadctothenghtat the speed determined by the position of the knurled knob H to eflect the traverse, which in practice may extend for an ei hth of an inch or otherdesired dlstanee whenthedesireddistancehasbeencompletedthestudn nmsoffthe end of the upper blade J which rise and opens the contacts, thereby stopping the motor. Figure8showsthepositionofthepartsat thisstage. Whenitisdesiredtoeflectanothertmverse,the startingleverJisih-stmovedtothe resetting positlon shown in Figure 9. During thi movement theflnger-l'onthestartinglever flrstdepresses both contacts simultaneously and therefore holds them open, and then the flat J on the lever engages the projection D" on the shaft and resets the shaft to the starting position, thus moving relatively wide difference in the loads during fast and slow speed traverses. This can be overcome by using a higher operating voltage, say 20 volts, for the fast-speed traversee and a lower voltage,

say 14 volts, for the slow speed traverses, and

to effect the voltage change, a change-over switch H, operated by the lever H simultaneously with the fast speed gear change, may,be used.

The bracket D on the shaft D is also used for operating contacts and for this purpose is provided with-an insulating block K carrying studs K K engaging with opposite sides of a spring contact blade K which cooperates with two further spring contact blade K K Thus the contacts K K are closed at the beginning of a traversing movement and open shortly afterwards, whilst the contacts K, K close shortly before the end of the movement, both ts of contacts being open during that portion of the movement during which the pick-up head is moving at substantially constant speed, that is after the initial acceleration from rest and before the final deceleration to rest. These contacts serve to control part of the associated measuring apparatus, as described below.

The pick-up head C itself may be arranged in various ways, but one convenient form is shown on a larger scale in Figures 11 and 12. The lower part of the head C is formed as a "presser foot or skid C to engage the surface under investigation over an extended area suflicient to cover several "crests" of roughness and thus to provide a datum line relatively to the point of the stylus L, which projects downwardly through the presser foot onto the surface. The stylus L is carried by the armature L of an electromagnetic device mounted in the head, the device preferably being of such a nature that movement of the armature as the stylus is traversed over the surface varies the-inductanceof a coil to which can be applied a carrier current having a frequency high as compared with the principal frequencies in the movements of the stylus normal to the surface.

In the construction shown the electromagnetic device is of the differential type and consists of a yoke M having three parallel limbs M M M arranged side by side so as to form a substantially E-shaped core structure. The armature L extends past all three limbs and is pivoted on a knife-edge IF projecting from the centre limb M against which it is held by springs L The core structure with the armature constitutes two magnetic circuits, with the'centre limb W common to the two circuits. The two outer limbs M M each carry primary windings (omitted from the drawings for the sake of clearness) whilst the centre limb M carries a secondary winding. Movements of the stylus normal to the surface will vary the reluctance of the two magnetic circuits in opposite senses and will thus control the output from the secondary winding. The wall of the pick-up head C is preferably'made of high permeability iron so as to provide magnetic screening.

The measuring apparatus. to which the secondary output of the pick-up is applied, in itself forms no part of thepresent invention, but is preferably of one or other of the kinds described in the present applicant's United States of America Patent Applications Serial Nos. 381,920 and 378,836, filed Mar. 5, 1941 and Feb. 13, 1941, re-

spectively.

It will be appreciated that the pick-up unites:

cording to the invention may be employed withother forms of measuring apparatus, and further that the unit itself may be arranged in ways other than that above described. v

Thus, for instance, instead of employing a screwthread and half-nutfor transmitting the drive from the variable speed gear to the shaft carrying the pick-up head, the motor may act through the variable speed gear (as shown in Figure 13) to drive a rotary cam N acting on a roller 0 carried by a lever B which is pivoted at I! and acts at its free end on the shaft D, a spring 0 (which tends to move the shaft D in the resetting direction) being provided for holding the roller 0 in engagement with the cam N. The cam is so shaped that one complete revolution serves both for the forward traverse of the shaft D and for a quick return movement thereof for resetting purposes, a ratchet device N, N being provided to ensure that the cam can be driven in one direction only.

With this arrangement starting may be effected by means of a push-button P provided with a detent P engaging in a recess N in the periphery of the ratchet disc N the arrangement being such that depression of the button P drives the cam forward to the extent of, say, one ratchet tooth and thereby effects the quick resetting movement, whilst release of the button P brings the detent P out of the recess N and thereby closes starting contacts P, P in the motor circuit, such circuit being broken to stop the motor by reengagement of the. detent in the recess at the end of the complete revolution.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A pick-up unit for use in apparatus for measuring the degree of roughness of a surface, comprising in combination a casing, means whereby the casing can be locatedin a chosen position relatively to the surface under investigation, a pick-up head carried by the casing and movable relatively thereto, an electric motor fixed relatively to the casing, variable speed gearing through which the motor acts to drive the pick-up head relatively to the casing in one direction substantially parallel to the surface at any one of a plurality of difierent speeds, a ratchet-like device incorporated in the drive between the gearing and the pick-up head for permitting relatively quick resetting of th head to the starting position, contacts controlling the motor circuit, a starting lever for resetting the head to the starting position and operating the contacts to start the motor, and means for automatically operating the contacts to stop the motor, when the head has travelled a predetermined distance.

2. A pick-up unit for use in apparatus for measuring the degree of roughness of a surface, comprising in combination a, casing, means whereby the casing can be located in a chosen position relatively to the surface under investigation, a pick-up head carried by the casing and movable relatively thereto, an electric motor, variable speed gearing, a rotary member joumaled in the casing and driven in one direction by the motor through the gearing, means whereby such member during the major portion of one revolution acts to drive the pickup head relatively to the casing in one direction substantially parallel to the surface, means for automatically stopping the drive at the end of such movement, a starting device for causing the rotary member to perform the remaining small portion of the one revolution, means whereby such further movement oi! the rotary member causes the pick-up head to be quickly reset to its starting position, and means for restarting the motor when the pick-up head has been reset.

3. A pick-up unit for use in apparatus for measuring the degree or roughness of a surface,

. comprising in combination a casing, means whereby the casing can be located in a chosen position relative]? to the surface under investigation, a pick-up head carried by the casing and movable relatively thereto, a source of power, variable speed gearing carried by the casing and interposed between the source of power and the pick-up head whereby the pick-up head can be driven relatively to the casing in one direction substantially parallel to the surface at any one of a plurality of diiierent speeds, means incorporated in the drive whereby th pick-up head can be reset relatively quickly to the starting position, a starting device for controlling such resetting movement and for starting the drive in the forward direction over the surface, and means for automatically stopping the drive when the pickup head has travelled a predetermined distance over the surface.

4. A pick-up unit as claimed in claim 3, in which the starting device has two operative positions, a normal position and a resetting position. the arrangement being such that movement of the device into the resetting position causes the pick-up head to be reset to its starting position. whilst movement of the device back to its normal position efiects starting of the drive.

, RICHARD EDMUND REASON. 

